1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved bicycle racks and their components.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Many racks exists for holding bicycles and other objects onto vehicles. One rack uses the bicycle's center brace to support the bicycle. Lock, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,897 (1982), teaches a removable bicycle rack that attaches to the trunk and bumper of a conventional automobile. That rack also has a pair of carrying members to support the center bar of a bicycle crank. The bicycle then hangs down from the support member of Lock and applicant's earlier application.
Jay, U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,923 (1991), supports bicycle wheels on horizontal channels. The device also has an upright post into which the crank arm sits. A cap is inserted and locked in the post over the bicycle crank arm to prevent removal of the bicycle from the rack. Allsop, U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,119 (1997), disclose a post that receives a portion of the bicycle crank arm. A locking member projects into and out of the inside of the post to lock the crank arm against an inside wall at the post.